U.S. rail traffic volumes tell a familiar story in Week 22

In the week ending June 6, total U.S. freight-rail traffic volume reflected what has become a familiar downward trend so far in 2015: Railroads logged 550,037 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.2 percent compared with the same week a year ago, the Association of American Railroads reported yesterday.

U.S. intermodal volume continued to outpace carload traffic during the week. Intermodal traffic rose 4.3 percent to 281,315 containers and trailers, while U.S. carloads decreased 8.1 percent to 268,722.

Commodity groups posting increases compared with the same week in 2014 were miscellaneous carloads, up 8 percent to 8,843 carloads; motor vehicles and parts, up 6.2 percent to 19,484; and grain, up 2.6 percent to 18,046 carloads. Commodity groups that decreased included coal, down 18.6 percent to 88,346; metallic ores and metals, down 10.5 percent to 24,737 carloads; and nonmetallic minerals, down 4.2 percent to 37,911 carloads.

Canadian railroads' numbers for the week also reflected a decrease in carloads and an increase in intermodal: Carload traffic fell 9.4 percent to 74,718, while intermodal rose 5.9 percent to 63,268 units compared with the same week in 2014.

Mexican railroads posted 16,548 carloads for the week, up 1.3 percent compared with the same week last year, and 10,970 intermodal units, down 4.1 percent.

For the first 22 weeks of 2015, U.S. railroads' total combined traffic was 11,882,328 carloads and intermodal units, down 0.7 percent year over year. Canadian railroads' total combined traffic was 3,041,979 carloads, containers and trailers, up 3.5 percent; and Mexican railroads' total combined traffic was 586,900 carloads, containers and trailers, up 2.7 percent.